Tower Building Activity
Introduction
Just after a few classes and some very good interactions
with people from different parts of the nation, a glance at the time table said
“Principles of Organization and Management” by Dr T Prasad. The lectures on the
first few days were enriching in their own unique way, so I was looking forward
to the class. I was astonished and spell bound by the way Dr Mandi (I will call
Dr T Prasad as Dr Mandi) started the session. An introduction which included a
lot of significant achievements literally swept me off my feet.
Mr Mandi had initiated Mandi and Hamara Dhandha which had
always appealed me. I had seen few seniors participating heavily in such events
and coming out with flying colours. With each passing minute my goals in life
got stronger and they suddenly had a purpose.
“Socho ... Becho ... Becho .... Seekho ... Seekho ... Socho”
sums up the ideology of every individual hoping to create a name for himself.
Everyone is capable of creating ideas but only a few have the courage to
implement them. Dr Mandi encouraged everyone not to be a part of the herd but
to have one’s own identity. He dreams his students become millionaires and have thousands of people working for them.
“Aaj ki roti aaj hi kamayenge” instilled in me the desire to
think about my future from the first day itself. The general idea of “kar lenge”
has to be shunned. We have to become self reliant as soon as possible. Dr Mandi
showed us how money can be made from simple toys but with a larger meaning. A
simple game of tic-tac can be converted into a number puzzle and can be sold
for a significant amount of money. A lot of other applications of physics and
maths can also be a good source of learning for the children (consumers) and at
the same time be a source of income for the producers.
Pink Floyd - Another brick in the wall
The age old tradition of molding students in a similar cast
is analogous to another brick in the wall. The out-of-touch education system is
bent on producing compliant cogs in the societal wheel. We need to come out of the cocoon and create a name for our self. This mentality needs a
turn around and an initiative by Pink Floyd was beautifully shown in the
session. The video can be viewed at:
Are we doing enough to change all this ?
A serious thought has to be put in on the education system prevalent nowadays.
A serious thought has to be put in on the education system prevalent nowadays.
The video on Mandi showed the kind of effort put in by the
students and Dr Mandi. Mandi was covered by well known media houses of the
country.
It shows how money can be generated from innovative ideas
and good implementations.
Tower Building Activity
The nuances of management were taught by Dr Mandi through a
tower building activity. Small wooden cubes were used to create a single stack
of as many cubes as possible. The risk taking ability of an individual was
tested through an open auction. The auction resulted in only three people ready
to pay money in case they fail to achieve the pre-defined target.
The 3 people selected were portraying the top management,
manager and the worker. The audience were equivalent to consumers and they too
had an important role to play. Customers/consumers
always expect producers to do well. They are always with the producers and are
more interested than the competitors.
The top management was also providing inputs time and again
on how to get the task done. The manager
made sure that the worker is always performing the task with perfection. He
motivated the worker and always pushed him to give his 100%. The worker was
tired and exhausted and at times also felt that the task at hand is too
difficult but gradually as the activity went along, the seemingly difficult
task of building 18 blocks seemed achievable. The audience provided the much
needed motivation and after the task was completed, even the audience felt that
the difficult task of 18 cubes in a single stack can be achieved by many which
seemed impossible in the start.
SMART
The whole idea was summarized through the concept of SMART
where Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely were perfectly
understood through the activity. One has to be very clear with the task to be
performed. Initially people were willing to build a stack of 30-35 blocks but
eventually when the hurdles were explained a lot of them were not willing to do
more than 20. The hurdles and uncertainties in the process of
management was pictured and everyone has to be prepared to face them with perfection. The attainable figure of around 20 blocks seemed
realistic to everyone as we moved along. The timely execution of the activity
is also very important.
We have to understand that the workers are very important and need to be taken care
of. The management has to ensure that the workers are properly treated which would
pave the way for a smoother process. During the activity, the worker was exhausted
and he was on edge for most of the later part. But the support of the
management as well as the consumers gave him the desired mental support and the
activity was successfully completed.
In terms of Theory X and Theory Y, the manager was Theory Y manager of situation 4. The worker liked his work and the manager also treated the worker as not lazy.
According to me, situation 4 is the best. The worker should enjoy his work and the manager should not find the worker lazy.
The dangerous situations would include where the manager assumes the worker is lazy or the worker dislikes his work. Even when the worker likes his work but the manager feels he is lazy the situation can be very bad.
Theory X and Theory Y
In terms of Theory X and Theory Y, the manager was Theory Y manager of situation 4. The worker liked his work and the manager also treated the worker as not lazy.
According to me, situation 4 is the best. The worker should enjoy his work and the manager should not find the worker lazy.
The dangerous situations would include where the manager assumes the worker is lazy or the worker dislikes his work. Even when the worker likes his work but the manager feels he is lazy the situation can be very bad.
One should understand the basics of management. If you cannot do it, it is not management. Management includes the participation of each and every individual. For instance, without the audience the achievements of M S Dhoni, the Indian Cricket captain would look very small. Audience is also a major part of any activity.
Summary
During my stint at TCS, there were a lot of instances during which we had to provide the deadlines for the project and there were cases when we had undermined the obstacles which could come in our way. We missed deadlines and that bought a bad name for the company. This is where management comes in. We need to weigh in all the possible cases and come up with a plan B in case the desired outcome is not achieved. One has to fetch for himself. There are no free lunches. The whole gist of the activity lies in the fact that the equal participation of every individual is important for the goal to be achieved.